FicWad

Manic pulled his phone out and got the USB cable.

“No, we're not listening to your emo music, Manic.” Sonia said.

Manic put his phone back into his backpack and set the cable back in the console.

“So what were you reading last night that was so funny, bro?” Sonic asked.

“Well, Sonia was cleaning out her old books from school.” Manic replied. “I noticed that she had the book I was talking about last week and decided to read it. I barely made it past somewhere in the seventh circle of Hell, where whoever's sent there has to wander in a desert with fire raining down on them for all eternity.”

“Oh, the Divine Comedy?” Sonia asked. “I figured you couldn't get past the part where thieves are bitten by snakes, explode, and repeat for all eternity.”

“You know I hate deserts.” Manic replied. “That scared me more than the snake and exploding thing.”

Sonic shook his head. “You have a sick sense of humor, Manic.”

“I was laughing about the part with the flatterer’s punishment and the one bit with the hellrakers.” Manic said. “I wasn't expecting bathroom jokes in an insanely old book.”

Sonia sighed. “Of course.” She muttered. “Boys.”
**
Manic climbed onto the display couch at a furniture store and stretched out on it.

“I doubt they want anyone laying on the display furniture.” Sonia said.

Manic turned to lay on his side and propped his head up with his hand. “They can't see me under the shelf and behind boxes.”

“You look like you're doing the timeless art of seduction thing from Seinfeld.” Sonic said.

Sonia turned away. “Oh, now I see it.”

Manic sat up, propping his arm on the arm rest. “No, it was more like this.”

Sonic laughed and took Manic's picture.

Sonia shook her head.

Sonic and Manic were laughing hysterically as they took a few more pictures.

“Okay, boys, that's enough.” Sonia said.

Manic smirked. “No, we got one more.” He said, readjusting his medallion.

Sonia shook her head. “Hurry up, please.”

“Photograph me like one of your French girls.” Manic said, imitating a girl's voice. He started to slide his black vest off. “Wearing-”

“No.” Sonic replied. “I know taking your vest off doesn't make a difference but, if you do that, you're gonna be spending the afternoon prying my shoe out of your-”

“Sorry. I got carried away.” Manic said, sitting up.
*
The triplets made their way to the mattress section.

“Why are we here?” Sonia asked.

Sonic and Manic climbed on the water bed.

Manic laid on the bed. “Oh, this is awesome!” He exclaimed. “Why did they stop making these?”

Sonic bounced around on the mattress.

“Probably because it stopped being trendy.” Sonia said. She looked around. “Guys, they probably don't want hedgehogs playing around on their waterbeds.”

Manic tried to sit up. “I'm stuck, Sonia.” He said. “Sonic, stop flopping around so I can get off.”

One of Manic's long spines poked the mattress.

Water poured out of the mattress.

Sonic scrambled off of the bed.

Sonia leaped back. “Uh-oh.”

Manic gasped, then squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath as the water covered his face.

Sonia pulled Manic off of the bed.

Manic coughed up a little water. “Thanks, sis.”

Sonic looked at Sonia. “You can pay for damages, right?” He asked. He grabbed Manic's arm and started running. “Bye!”

Sonia groaned.
*
Sonia reluctantly followed her brothers around Party City.

Sonic picked up a giant sombrero and placed it in Manic's head.

Manic laughed. He picked up a pink feather boa and draped it around Sonic's shoulders when he wasn't looking.

Sonic looked at it and yanked it off. “Ugh. There's a dead bug in it, bro.”

Sonia gagged.

Manic started gagging.

Sonic shook his head. “Stop mocking Sonia.”

Manic exhaled slowly. “I'm not. Seeing her gag made me do it too.”

Sonia groaned. “Can we go now?”

“No, we need to try on random sunglasses.” Sonic replied.

The two brothers dragged Sonia over to the sunglasses rack.

Manic put on a pair of white shudder lens glasses and put them on. “Say, I would totally wear these all the time.”

“No.” Sonic replied. “You look like you're trying way too hard to be hip or something.”

Manic took them off. “Yeah, they're kinda lame.”

Sonic put on a pair of lime green hipster glasses.

“You look like Dr. Forrester on Mystery Science Theater 3000.” Manic said.

Sonic took the glasses off. “Where's Sonia?”

“Boys.” Sonia said.

Manic and Sonic turned around to see Sonia holding up two grass skirts and two coconut tops.

“No.” Manic said. “I am not wearing that.”

“Neither am I.” Sonic added.

“I'll buy you chili dogs.” Sonia replied.

“Yeah, no.” Sonic said, folding his arms. “I can buy my own chili dogs.”

Manic walked over and picked up three coconut cups and a box of drink umbrellas. “Alright, let's go.”
*
Sonic and Manic sat in the beach chairs outside of a tropical smoothie shop.

“Why'd you buy coconut cups when they gave us cups?” Sonia asked.

Manic poured their smoothies into the coconut cups they bought and added umbrellas. Sonic and Manic kicked back in their chairs. “Does this answer your question?”

"Not really.” Sonia said.

Sonic sipped his smoothie. “Ugh, I think they put too much pineapple in this.”

Manic scrolled through his phone as he sipped his mango smoothie. “Should I feel bad that our concerts are on the garage band level compared to this Christmas play… concert thing?”

Sonic looked over Manic's shoulder. “Do you really want to go flying through the air with a part of your drum set?”

“No, but look how over the top it is compared to us.” Manic replied. “Our sets look like a little kid putting on a ‘show’ for Mom and Dad when you compare it to this.”

“We probably should look into adding some kind of pizazz to our shows though.” Sonia said.

Manic rolled his eyes. “Oh, now you're on board with jazzing up our set.”

“My keyboard is already a fog machine.” Sonia said. “We don't need cryo guns. You're on the drums and you can't use them anyway.”
*
On the way home, Sonia glanced at Sonic and Manic, who were staring off into space. “What're you boys thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Sonic replied.

“This documentary about phony psychics and con artists I saw last night.” Manic said. “I just realized that the Oracle created a self-fulfilling prophecy and gave his tech stuff this super mysterious appearance so we'd think he was all magical or whatever and we fell for it.”

“I think you're overthinking the Oracle.” Sonia replied.

“Care to explain?” Sonic asked.

“He wears those long, baggy sleeves where he can easily hide devices.” Manic said. “He knew we’d never guess his instructions for the snow globe and that we'd come by to ask about it. He could've easily sent us into some kind of virtual world like that whole Castle Conquest deal with Ro-butt-nik or it was an alternate dimension… wormhole thing. He could've been spying on us the whole time since he knew Ma. He probably has a teleportation machine that he sets to beam him to places and back. He never lets us have a good look around his place, so we wouldn't be able to find anything. Knuckles’ grandpa or whatever probably does the same thing too from what I've seen and heard.”

“Huh.” Sonic replied. “I knew something was funny about the Oracle.”

“What about our ancestor, Aman-Rapi?” Sonia asked. “Explain that, Mr. Skeptical.”

“Steampunk-like tech.” Manic replied. “A hologram projection based on what they believed he looked like. He was a respected leader for years after his death, so there was probably a lot of artwork. Cyrus’ dad invented that gun that froze the swatbots. What if he really didn't invent it first? Besides, the stupid message we got from Aman-Rapi was something we would've said. Sonic could've easily said the same thing and it doesn’t make him a prophet. We'd just call Sonic cocky if he said that.”

Sonia propped her head up with her hand. “Explain the pendant.”

“I don't care what it is, that thing is creepy.” Manic said.

Sonia rolled her eyes. “You had to have put hours of thought into this.”

“No, five minutes, actually.” Manic replied.

“I'm sorry I got us down this rabbit trail.” Sonia muttered. “Okay, Sonic, you and Manic won.”

Sonic pumped us fists in the air. “Yes!”

“Well, if Sonic gets to pick the movie, can I pick which Transporter movie we watch?” Manic said.

“I already picked it.” Sonic replied. “The first one. I knew you liked that one better.”

Manic fist bumped Sonic. “Awesome.”